


day of triumph

by narcissacronin



Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissacronin/pseuds/narcissacronin
Summary: nova’s time during the battle for gatlon, detailed on pages 137-138 of renegades
Kudos: 8





	day of triumph

Gatlon was on fire. The whole city was set ablaze with bombs and gunfire. Entire streets burned to the ground, bombs blowing off every couple of seconds, detonating every building in the city that hadn’t already been destroyed.

At least that’s what Nova’s imagination conjured up, thinking the worst, for she was trapped underground in the catacombs and unable to see the battle raging above. Theoretically, she could leave anytime she wanted. But her Uncle Ace had instructed her to stay down here until he or one of the others told her it was safe to come out, and she didn’t want to disobey him.

Nova jumped up onto one of the many tombs that littered the basement of the cathedral, her small feet dangling a few feet from the ground. She kicked her feet back and forth, ankles thumping against the side of the stone coffin and sending loud thuds that echoed throughout the catacombs. She had only been down here for less than an hour, and already boredom and fear had set in.

Bones littered the ground, coffins everywhere. Some were closed while others lay open. Normally, Nova found the catacombs to be eerie and avoided them at all costs, but she was far too worried about the battle to be concerned about ghosts and things that go bump in the night. The tunnels were dank and musty, the air so thick Nova had struggled to breathe the moment she’d stepped in. It was pitch black down there and she only had a little flashlight that she had brought with her, though she tried to only use it when she needed it, wanting it to last for as long as possible. After all, she had no idea how long she’d be down here.

Nova had no way of tracking time and had no idea how long she’d been hiding. It could have been mere hours or days. Either way, she didn’t care. It felt like she’d been down here for _ages_ and her stomach was already rumbling with hunger—though that was the least of her concerns.

The cathedral shook as another bomb was set off nearby. She waited with bated breath for the shaking to stop, feeling as though the walls around her might collapse. It wasn’t too far of a stretch, the cathedral was hundreds of years old and the upper levels were already starting to crumble away.

There was another sharp cry from nearby, sounding as if it had come from a small child. Nova started to think of Evie and her parents. Her mind started to wander away from the battle, pretending her parents were with her. In her head, they were still in their little apartment, all hiding away in her parents’ bedroom. Evie lay in Nova’s arms, having just been put to sleep, and Nova was snuggled between her parents, both trying desperately to keep Nova’s mind off the battle outside, all the while they exchanged worried glances and hushed conversations about whether they should leave.

A loud gunshot cracked through the air followed by a shrill scream that was louder than all the rest. The sound sent a chill down Nova’s spine and dragged her back to the present. The vision of the apartment disappeared and she was back in the dark catacombs once more. She shivered and pulled her knees to her chest, turning on the flashlight. 

After a few minutes, she set the flashlight beside her on the coffin and hopped off it. She started making shadow puppets, trying to recreate the ones Winston had shown her just days prior. No matter how she moved her hands, they never looked quite right and she eventually gave up, climbing back on top of the coffin and turning the flashlight off.

Darkness engulfed once again and she was left with only her thoughts and the horrifying sounds of the fighting above. The yells, explosions, and gunshots seemed to be getting closer.

The walls shook even harder than before as she heard the sound of a nearby building collapsing under an explosion. A layer of dust settled over everything. Nova coughed and pulled the neck of her shirt over her nose, desperate for fresh air.

Fear coursed through her as the trembling of the cathedral became ever constant. Nova took slow steady breaths, whispering, “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. Everything will be over soon,” over and over again until she started to believe it.

Hours passed and everything was starting to blur together, the yells and sounds of the battle started to die down. Soon, the only sound she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the occasional rustle of a rodent that had taken up residence in a neighboring tomb. At one point, the cathedral had stopped thundering and she trusted the ground enough to stand up.

A buzzing interrupted the silence. Nova flicked on the flashlight, darting it around the room until it landed on a small swarm of bees. At first, she panicked, then remembered the Queen Bee. Hope seized in her chest, and, for the first time in hours, maybe even days, a small smile flitted across her lips.

Nova trained her flashlight on the entrance to the catacombs, waiting impatiently for Honey to come. It had been hours since Nova last saw a human being and she longed for the presence of another, having spent too much time alone in the dark with long-dead skeletons and anything else that lurked in the shadows of the catacombs.

* * *

The clack of Honey’s heels echoed throughout the sublevel of the cathedral as she made her way down the steps, rushing to get to Ace’s niece and her precious bees.

She found the child waiting by the entrance, wide eyes staring hopefully up at Honey. Nova started to her open her mouth but Honey shook her head, far too distressed to deal with whatever it was the child had to say. After all, they had just lost their leader and all felt hopeless.

“Come on, darling. We must be quick now,” Honey whispered, grabbing onto Nova’s arm and dragging her down a long hall until she came upon the hidden entrance to the tunnel. Honey went in first, holding onto Nova’s hand. They were hit with stale, musty air. It was even worse than the catacombs had been. Still, Honey pressed on, remembering the promise she and Leroy had made to Ace moments before he died.

_Protect my niece at all costs, she’ll be valuable to our cause._

Those had been his last words to them before charging towards the Renegades. Honey tried her best to block out the rest of the memory, wishing to forget the horrible scene.

The tunnel narrowed, it soon came to the point that Honey had to turn sideways in order to fit through, and still it was a tight squeeze. She could barely see what was in front of her, only having the dim light of Nova’s flashlight to guide her.

After what felt like ages of walking and trying to make herself as small as possible in order to squeeze through the impossibly small passages, Honey and Nova eventually reached the end of the tunnel.

The deserted Blackmire station lay on the other side, free for the taking. Long abandoned train cars littered the tracks. Honey’s lip curled in disgust at the thought of having to stay in one of them.

They took only a few steps when Nova said two simple words that were almost enough to throw Honey into a fit.

“What happened?” Nova asked, her curious eyes darting around the subway station as she shone her flashlight all over the room.

Honey choked back a sob and managed to whisper only three words in return. “The Renegades won.”


End file.
